Make a Move
by Revhead
Summary: Sam decides that he has to convince Cas to make the first move, or he and Dean will never be anything more than what they are now. Destiel, Sam's POV.


**Make a Move****  
**

"It's got to be you, Castiel," Sam said.

The angel had been standing at Bobby's window, staring out into the car yard for the better part of an hour with hidden longing in his eyes and an almost wistful expression on his face. Sam didn't have to see for himself to know what – or, more accurately, _who_ – Castiel was looking at.

The unwavering gaze of blue eyes shifted reluctantly onto Sam as the angel turned to face him. "What?"

"You're waiting for Dean to make the first move, aren't you?"

For a moment, Castiel looked remarkably like a deer caught in the headlights, startled and panicked and ready to bolt. "I do not know what you-"

"Cas, please." He had to know that there was no point denying it. "I've seen the way you two look at each other, the fleeting touches, the little smiles neither of you can keep in. It wasn't exactly difficult to put two and two together."

"But we're not…"

"Together? Yes, I know." That was the problem, and Sam intended to fix it. "You guys have been dancing around this for months now, and it is obvious – to me at least – that you are both waiting for the other person to be the first one to say or do something about these mutual but as-yet-unacknowledged feelings. If this keeps up, you'll both be living in unhappy denial for a long time. So I'm here to tell you: you have to be the one to do it. Dean won't."

"Why?" Was that a trace of fear in his voice? He was a battle-hardened warrior angel and yet, somehow, the idea of venturing into a relationship was daunting to him. "Dean has never lacked confidence in this aspect of human relations before."

Sam snorted. "You mean he's good at getting into women's pants."

Castiel flushed faintly, averting his eyes from Sam's gaze.

"This isn't about sex," Sam explained, hoping to alleviate some of Castiel's fear. He knew that the angel had no experience with physical intimacy. "It's different with you."

If anything, though, Castiel looked disappointed. "Dean is not attracted to me?"

Sam gave a stuttering laugh. "Ah, I'm fairly sure he is." He had seen his brother not-so-subtly checking Castiel out on more than one occasion, and the two of them had so much eye-sex it was awkward to be in the same room with them sometimes.

"Then why has he not acted upon his urges?"

"Because he likes you, Cas."

The angel's brow furrowed. "I do not understand."

"He cares about you. You are not just some random chick he met at a bar; you two know each other. You have history. You're friends." In other words, Dean couldn't just slip out in the morning and never see him again. If they did this, it would change everything.

"Romantic relationships between humans that are founded upon deep bonds of friendship and respect are said to endure the longest. Our 'history' should be an asset, not a hindrance."

He had done his research. Which meant he had thought about this. It was sweet. "And eventually it will be, I'm sure. But there are a few emotional hurdles that Dean needs to get over first."

"Explain."

Sam blew out a sigh. "I'm sure you know that my brother has some issues."

"Yes." Castiel had been the one to drag Dean from hell and piece him back together; he had to know better than most where the shadows on Dean's soul had come from. "They do not dampen the emotions I feel towards him. On the contrary."

He was surprised to hear Castiel admit his feelings so openly, but it drew a soft smile. "I'm glad. But you need to understand that being with Dean won't be easy. He tries to present himself as a straightforward guy, but beneath the cocky grin, classic rock, love of pie and leather jacket, Dean is very complex."

"I am aware. The process of getting to know Dean has been a long endeavour; on every occasion when I finally believed I knew all there was to know about him, he has proven me wrong by saying or doing something entirely unexpected, and I have been forced to re-evaluate my assessment of him all over again. He is a man of great depth and many layers."

"Right." Sam had known Dean for forever and he was still learning new things about him all the time. "Well, in amongst all that complexity is a child afraid of abandonment." Dean probably wouldn't like it if he knew Sam was discussing his vulnerabilities like this, but it was for his own good. "Our mother died, I left for Stanford, our father took off on his quest to hunt down yellow-eyes and in the end it got him killed..."

"You came back," Castiel said.

"Yes, but when I left I broke something between us." He hadn't meant to. He had needed to get away from his Dad and stop hunting, to live his own life and find something normal, safe. But it had never been about leaving Dean. Dean was the reason he almost stayed. A part of him had hoped that Dean would come with him – his brother had stuck by him through everything, and Sam couldn't imagine Dean letting him go off on his own. Naively, he had thought that by going off to college he would convince Dean to do the same, if only by proxy. But then, Sam was safe at Stanford while Dad was still hunting, still in danger, and the urge to protect his family meant that Dean never really had a choice.

It wasn't until they were reunited two years later that Sam realised that his leaving had torn his brother in two, leaving him wounded and alone. He regretted it, and he was sorry, especially when he could see that, even after all this time, Dean didn't quite trust that he would stick around.

"A part of Dean is still afraid that I'll leave him again."

Castiel tensed, protectiveness flaring in his eyes. "Will you?"

"No. Not while he still needs me." Maybe there would come a day when they were no longer so dangerously co-dependent, and Dean finding a steady relationship could play a significant role in that, but they would always been in each other's lives.

"I won't leave him, either." Castiel said it with conviction, leaving no doubt in Sam's mind that he was making a promise that he intended to keep.

"If you told him that, I think he would believe you." Sam was almost jealous.

"And then we would be together?"

"Well..."

"There is more?"

Sam shrugged helplessly. "You know my brother. He doesn't believe he can ever get what he wants. He doesn't think he deserves a happy ending." Dean probably thought that if he went for it, if he laid his heart on the line and tried to build something with Castiel, his chance to find happiness would be cruelly snatched from him.

"He does not believe that good things do happen."

"Exactly." When all life had ever dealt him was crappy hand after crappy hand, Dean had learned not to expect anything. He believed in what he could see, and didn't know how to hope for something better.

"I will convince him."

If anyone could, it was Castiel. Earning the loyalty, respect and admiration of an angel had already gone a long way to improving Dean's feelings of self-worth.

"If you do, you'll still have to deal with his fear of hurting the people closest to him."

"Dean would not hurt me."

Sam just looked at him, his eyes expressing more than words ever could.

"...not intentionally," Castiel amended. "Not with the desire to cause deep, lasting harm."

"Even so, Dean thinks that the people he cares about get hurt because of him and the life he leads."

"I am an angel. I can take care of myself."

That was definitely an advantage. Dean had the burning need to protect anyone he loved; with someone else he would be trapped between staying by their side to fight off any threats and getting as far away from them as possible to draw the evil away. Hunting and having a home could never work for him, unless the person he was with could hunt too, and not be killed in the process. Castiel's ability and clear determination to protect Dean was an added bonus.

But Sam had to be realistic. "You're not invincible, Cas. He will be terrified of losing you." Dean already was, but if he let his feelings out into the open he would have no chance of hiding or burying his grief if anything happened to his angel.

"And I him," Castiel replied solemnly. "Dean is mortal. I am painfully aware of the fragility of humans, and I know too well that the life of a hunter tends to be shorter than most. But since my feelings can be neither removed nor denied, I find myself needing to make the most of the little time that we do have."

"Carpe diem. I agree with you on that one." It was why he had finally broached this topic with the angel. He wanted his brother and his friend to find happiness and enjoy it for as long as they could. "So really, Cas, I think you should just go for it." The sooner the better. Dean would not reject Castiel's advances; Sam was confident of that much.

"You will not feel uncomfortable?"

Sam waved the suggestion away. "Nah. I came to terms with the idea of you two getting together ages ago. I think I realised that you guys were falling in love way before either of you did. You were driving me a bit crazy with how oblivious you were about how you really felt about each other, but now that it is coming out in the open I am very much relieved. And, don't tell Dean I said this, but I am happy for you both. Just don't do anything – gross – when I'm in the room, and we should be fine."

"I am grateful to have your blessing."

Suddenly struck by an image of walking Dean down the aisle, Sam huffed a laugh. "You make it sound like I am giving him away."

"In a way you are. For all of your life, you have had Dean's undivided attention, love and devotion. Allowing me to enter his life in this manner is a big step for you."

Sam hadn't thought about that. He had always just taken it for granted that he was the most important person in Dean's world. But this felt right. "I think it's time. Dean deserves the chance to think about himself and what he wants for a change. I don't want to come between you."

"You will always be his first priority."

Sam opened his mouth to protest, but Castiel shook his head. "I do not mind. Dean identifies himself, first and foremost, as your older brother. I would not change that about him. I am satisfied to have as much of him as he will give me."

In that moment, it was clear that Castiel really did know and understand Dean, and loved him for exactly who he was. Sam felt a surge of warmth and gratitude towards the angel. "Dean is lucky to have you."

"I think I am the fortuitous one."

It was exactly the sort of sappy sentiment a truly love-struck person would gush, and it made Sam ridiculously happy to know that someone felt that way about his brother. "Keep thinking that." Wary of rose-coloured glasses, he felt the need to add, "Remember, though, Dean has never really been in a long-term relationship before. The idea may freak him out, and he'll probably make a lot of mistakes. That's why he hasn't made a move yet. It's not that he doesn't want you – he wants you so much that he is scared of screwing it up."

"I have never been in a relationship before, either," Castiel pointed out.

"Well, I guess you guys will just have to work it out together."

"Work what out?" Dean asked, strolling into the room. He was wiping grease from his hands with a rag; Castiel had been watching him work on his car. No wonder he had seemed so entranced earlier.

"Us," Castiel replied, in a voice so low and husky it was practically indecent.

Dean's eyes blew wide with surprise and – oh gods, Sam did _not_ need to see that.

Castiel took one step forward, then another. Dean seemed frozen to the spot. "S-sam? What did you do?"

"Oh, just helped things along a bit. You can thank me later."

Dean swallowed nervously as Castiel advanced. The rag fell limply from his hand, forgotten. His tongue darted across his lips.

"Do you want this?" Castiel asked. Deep. Sultry.

"I-"

But the angel didn't let him get any further than that, closing the distance between them and pressing their lips together.

Dean made a muffled sound, hands flailing in panic for a moment, but then Castiel tilted his head slightly, improving the angle of the kiss and Dean moaned instead, melting into him. Castiel's arms snaked around his waist and Dean's hands slipped into the angel's tousled hair, pulling him in closer.

"Dude, I'm right here!" Sam exclaimed.

They broke apart. Dean was panting, eyes glazed, barely aware of his surroundings.

But Castiel shot Sam a look; one that said, '_This was your idea' _and '_I've waited this long, there is no way I'm stopping now'_. "I suggest you go elsewhere," he growled.

Dean made a keening noise, deep in his throat, and tugged Castiel back in.

Sam bid a hasty retreat, leaving them to it.

But once they were out of eyesight and earshot and Sam decided he wasn't too scarred for life, he grinned to himself.

Mission successful.

ooOOoo

_The End_


End file.
